My computer was possessed by the letter “h” . . . lessons learned.

A couple of weeks ago, my computer became possessed by the letter “h”.  It started out occasionally typing an “h” randomly while I was working and then began doing it more frequently.  It got to the point where I couldn’t backspace fast enough, log into anything that required a password, and it changed the name of my iphone to “hhh” in my itunes.

So off to the computer shop it went.  At first I thought it was cat hair or something that was jamming the key but no amount of cleaning would help.  Turns out it was an electronic glitch in the keyboard system itself.  Of course, my hot pink laptop needed a special keyboard that no one carries in stock so I had to wait for it to come in.  To my tech guys credit, they had my new keyboard installed within an hour of its arrival.  You know it’s not a good thing when the tech geeks say, “Hmm, haven’t seen this problem before”.

BUT, here’s my lessons learned from being without my laptop for 2 weeks and attempting to work with only an iphone that wasn’t able to be synced for that whole time (or for about a week prior – see above note about itunes):

• be sure that all of your contacts are updated regularly in your smartphone or that you have a printed backup
• be sure that all of your passwords for accessing things like, oh, your bank account or your WORDPRESS BLOG are written down somewhere that you can access if you normally save all your passwords in a (very secret) file on your laptop so when you go on a different computer to try to do something you can actually access your accounts
• be sure to write down all of your appointments from your Outlook calendar BEFORE you take said computer to the shop (or consider using something that is based on the web such as Google Calendar)
• Place all important documents (ones you need to access regularly) in your Dropbox account so you can get to them online when you need them
• be sure that your smartphone can actually send emails as well as receive them

Here’s some things I did right, though:

• My iphone has apps for Facebook, Twitter (I use Tweetdeck), Linked In, Kindle, Evernote and many others that I use on a regular basis
• Most of my client and project research was in my Evernote account
• My paper files have blank copies of contracts, important documents and client notes
• My whole computer is backed up using Carbonite so even if the whole system crashed, I had all of my information that could be restored if need be
• All of my current clients and projects were in project folders or project bins along with all pertinent information & materials
• I had current checks, envelopes and stamps in my mail center

I was also lucky that it was the end of summer, just before school started back up, so I wasn’t as busy with clients.  It’s typically a slow time of year for my business as families are trying to wind down summer and gear up for school.

I felt as if a body part was missing.  It did give me some critical insight that maybe I’m too attached to my computer, or too dependent on it.  I kept walking over to my desk and staring at the pitifully empty spot.  While I was going through the withdrawal pains, I came to the conclusion that at least it gave me something to blog about that others can learn from.  Other than that, it sucked.  Seriously sucked.

Using ‘Notes’, or, “I have a lead on a client but can’t remember their name!”

One of the main issues I run across when working with both business and residential clients is how to keep track of all the people they meet. For residential – it’s often the soccer coach, the new teacher at school, the parent they met at the school play or the plumber their neighbor recommended. For business clients, it’s the lead on a prospective client, a great website designer or the person who promised to put them in touch with someone who could help them land a grant.

This is what I recommend:

First, have one landing spot for all of your contacts. It could be a small basket, a business card holder, a folder – doesn’t really matter as long as all of the business cards/scribbled notes/post-it all goes there.

Second, use a system such as Outlook on your computer to keep all of your contacts. Paper systems can work well, usually, for someone who doesn’t have a lot of contacts but if you are a busy person or have a business – an electronic system is key. The main reason is … searchability.
But here is the key: Use the notes section for key words so you can actually find that contact again. After all, the best thing about being organized is finding what you need – when you need it.

Say you get a business card from a potential client at a networking lunch. The woman you met has red hair, her kids go to the same pre-school yours did and you talked about both having labrador retrievers. She also knows another client of yours who had said good things about you and your business. Definitely a warm lead. You enter in her information in your contacts database. A week later, you want to follow up with her but can’t for the life of you remember her name. No worries. If your notes section said . . .

• met at NAWBO luncheon May 2010
• red hair/kid at Waldorf/chocolate lab named Chuck
• in book club with Sue Smith

. . . then you could simply type in the “search” box … ‘lab’ or ‘red hair’ or ‘Sue Smith’.

Every contact you have that has that key word will pop up so you can find her, and hopefully land her as a client.  She’ll be pretty impressed that you not only followed up but remembered the name of her dog.

Williamson County Free Shred & Medicine Disposal in April!

April 17, 2010

The Williamson County Sheriff Dept, Franklin Police Dept. and HomeInstead Health Care are holding a medicine collection from 9 a.m. to noon, on the square in downtown Franklin.

Don’t throw expired medicines in our water system – take them here and have them disposed of properly!

Embrace Your Clutter. . .Release The Guilt

A lot of my clients have a lot of stuff. Some are really motivated to let things go and lighten up their life. They see the benefits in having fewer possessions weighing them down – less to maintain – less to clean. But some of my clients really do love their stuff.

And frequently what they feel is shame. This shame comes from those around them criticizing their decision to hang on to their stuff or picking on them for not having surfaces free of perceived clutter or harping on them that their garage is full of “junk”.

Sometimes I find fear from my clients. Fear that I’m going to “make” them get rid of things. Fear that they will have to change everything about their space. Fear of “forgetting” things because the memory triggers of the possessions aren’t there in their sight anymore.  Fear that others won’t like them if they don’t change.

This fear and shame often results in guilt.  Guilt about not making the right decisions.  Guilt about not living up to expectations.  Guilt about not being perfect.
So I tell them . . . these are YOUR things. It’s your decision whether to keep them or not.

But here are the questions I ask:

• Does all of this stuff around you make you truly happy?
• Is everything here important or are there some things that are more important than others?
• Can you find what you need when you need it or do you spin your wheels trying to get things done?
• Does your space reflect who you are now, at this time in your life?
• Are your possessions holding you back or guiding you forward in your life?
• Are these things around you causing you problems in your life – with your family, work or relaxation?

Depending on the answers, it may not be a case of getting rid of a lot of stuff.  It may simply be a case of creating a system of storage for those important items so that they are accessible or visible depending on the client’s needs.

In that case, please release the shame.  Release the fear.  Release the guilt.  Keep your stuff.  I know this sounds counter-intuitive to my profession but once you let that go, you can look at things more objectively.  When people are pushed, the natural inclination is to push back.

By setting free the fear and shame, it often becomes easier to acknowledge the real reasons for hanging on to things from the past or continual purchasing of new items.  I encourage my clients to look within themselves and determine what THEY want to do.  Not what others tell them they should.  When they can do some internal examination of their feelings, thoughts and beliefs – it’s amazing what progress can be made.  I’m not trying to be a therapist but to help them figure out what is really important to them so we can make progress towards whatever the end result may be.

My goal when organizing is to create a space that my client is happy, content and productive within.  If that means storing & displaying 400 Russian Nesting dolls, well, so be it.  But what I find is that when some inner peace is found, those Russian Nesting dolls don’t have quite a strong of a hold as they may have once had.

Organizing using wall space: basketballs & guitars

Every time I organize, there’s always oddball things that end up laying around in a playroom/bonus room/bedroom/wherever.  In my daughter’s room, these were her basketball and her guitar.  These are not easy things to keep in bins or on a shelf but they needed to go somewhere.  Oddly enough, as I was pondering the basketball problem, I had a random email from John at Ball Claw about his company’s product which happened to solve my dilemma beautifully!  I was a bit hesitant because I hadn’t actually seen & touched one so he offered to send me some to test out.  In about a week, I had 3 to try in varying sizes.  I picked the one that fit the basketball (I’m saving the other 2 as door prizes for my NAPO Nashville chapter) and installed it on the wall.  Super easy.  Not only to install, but to put the basketball in and take it out.  Seriously – my daughter has put it in the “claw” every single time she used it without me asking.  Which is pretty amazing in itself.  The Ball Claw isn’t just for bedrooms (we live in a 1945 bungalow without a garage which is why the basketball is in her room).  It would also be perfect for garages, gyms, schools, whatever.  So far it has proved to be simple (in a good way), easy to install, durable and one of those no-brainer organizing tools that work well for kids (and big people too).

For the guitar, I went to Shuff’s Music here in downtown Franklin and picked up a cute little guitar mount.  It’s small, easy to mount on the wall just like the Ball Claw and holds her guitar.

I mounted both in an unused space on her wall – and it has made a huge difference in keeping her floor clear. (For those wondering about the shelves – those are our designated “treasure storage” which I think is critical for a kid’s room)

I always encourage creativity with storage – and these two products have been a huge help to me personally and to my clients.